Thread: Planning for Retirement

Go to Successful Retirement Secrets, look for Tony's Blog, and when that comes up, find the About tab and there you'll find out more about me that you ever want to know...

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If you're using a phone app I don;t know for sure. It seems every phone's software is different.

Originally Posted by rakendzior

This is Tony Kendzior. Thanks for your questions and your replies etc. I'm still working out the best way to respond to question so that the person who asked them gets my reply in the right context and doesn't have to ask them again. I know I understand money but as yet, I don't seem to understand how to use the TSP Talk forums. But I'm working on it...

Well, i'm moving forward with my retirement...although i ran the numbers, i was concerned that my wife would not have enough when i die.......i went with a service: tspmasters, https://www.tspmasters.com/ who ran my numbers for various situations (including a doomsday market crash)

I was very pleased with the service, far beyond what my HR was doing...i thought i had all the angles when i ran the numbers,myself but i was not as accurate as i needed or wanted to be....i worked out for me becauses now my wife can really see (we are a one income family) that the kids and her have nothing to worry about...was thinking of holding out one more year, but will be retired, sipping pina coladas poolside within a few months

Congrats alfaman on your upcoming retirement

alfaman, congratulations on your upcoming retirement.

TSPmasters looks like it could be a good resource BUT webpage aesthetics are totally amateurish. He needs to lose the stupid pop-up chat window...Blocks 1/5 of the page that I am trying to view & no options to "X" out. So I didn't hang around long.


Anybody that begs to differ with me and has a solution to view Pete's full page, let's hear it.

That's is view the full page without paying anything...

TSP Roth vs traditional question. When the Roth was first available I went 100% in, but with further consideration I switched back to traditional deductions because the more I thought it about it I will be in a lower tax bracket when I retire and therefore pay less taxes on withdrawals. However, that does not take into consideration that I also end up being taxed on gains I made in the market. Wondering what would be the best approach? Thanks.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using TSP Talk Forums mobile app

Originally Posted by tom4jean

TSP Roth vs traditional question. When the Roth was first available I went 100% in, but with further consideration I switched back to traditional deductions because the more I thought it about it I will be in a lower tax bracket when I retire and therefore pay less taxes on withdrawals. However, that does not take into consideration that I also end up being taxed on gains I made in the market. Wondering what would be the best approach? Thanks.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using TSP Talk Forums mobile app

Hello - ROTHs of any stripe can be good for you. But... As they evolved, it became apparent to me that once you reached age 50 or so, the tax paid up front wasn't offset by presumed taxable effect when you reached age 65 and beyond and were in a possibly lower tax bracket. Of course it depends on how long you actually live and your unique circumstances. I had a physician client, now deceased, who moved $2M of qualifed money, taxable money, into a ROTH after he retired. He had been an art collector during his lifetime, and gifted enough art to a local museum such that his tax bill on the $2M distribution was offset by the charitable gift. For most of us, that opportunity doesn't exist. Tony

Originally Posted by rakendzior

Hello - ROTHs of any stripe can be good for you. But... As they evolved, it became apparent to me that once you reached age 50 or so, the tax paid up front wasn't offset by presumed taxable effect when you reached age 65 and beyond and were in a possibly lower tax bracket. Of course it depends on how long you actually live and your unique circumstances. I had a physician client, now deceased, who moved $2M of qualifed money, taxable money, into a ROTH after he retired. He had been an art collector during his lifetime, and gifted enough art to a local museum such that his tax bill on the $2M distribution was offset by the charitable gift. For most of us, that opportunity doesn't exist. Tony

Yea, I'm a nurse, not a doctor and I won't ever be in that situation.
At 52 I think I'm making the right choice staying traditional, thanks for the reply and confirming it.

Originally Posted by tom4jean

Yea, I'm a nurse, not a doctor and I won't ever be in that situation.
At 52 I think I'm making the right choice staying traditional, thanks for the reply and confirming it.

do not be so sure.....i will be in a higher tax bracket at 70 since that's what the RMDs start and so does my social security....so at this point i am putting more in my roth tsp than my traditional....found that out using the service i mentioned earlier...i am in my early sixties